The event, which is sold out, has been dubbed “The Crystal Ball,” and will feature dinner and dancing.
It celebrates the institute’s 10th anniversary. “Fortunately, Wells Fargo, who is a wonderful, dear friend of the Buck Institute, had committed early on, almost a year ago,” said Mary Poland of Ross, one of the volunteers who helped organize the fundraiser. Her husband, Bill Poland, a real estate developer whose projects include the San Francisco Design Center, serves on the Buck Institute’s board. Mary Poland estimates the ball will gross about $500,000. Chris Hammond, a spokesman for Wells Fargo, said, “We’re committed to supporting nonprofits in Marin and beyond.” He said Wells Fargo contributed $226 million to nonprofits nationwide in 2008. Jim Farley, director of Marin County’s Department of Cultural and Visitor Services, expressed surprise at the turnout for the ball. “I think that is an exception more than a rule these days,” Farley said. “The perception The Buck Trust contribution covered only 20 percent of the institute’s $34 million annual budget. For the remainder, the institute depends on grants from the National Institutes of Health and other foundations, corporate licensing agreements and contributions from individuals. Since its opening in October 1999, the institute has grown quickly. It employs 163 people who hail from 18 countries. Its annual payroll this year, including benefits, will amount to $13.3 million. The institute made purchases this year totaling more than $10 million.
“It really was a watershed event,” said Jim Kovach, the institute’s president and chief operating officer. “It told us that there is a real power to what we’ve done in 10 years in bringing together these different disciplines that would never be in close proximity at any academic medical center.”